San Quentin (1937)

"San Quentin" hasn't much in the way of merit, except for the cast making the most out of a dull and predictable script. Pat O' Brien is given the lead for a change and he is good. Humphrey Bogart, Ann Sheridan and Barton MacLane give solid support. O' Brien is a newly appointed governor of a prison but his job is rendered more difficult. Not only does he have some real hard cases to contend with but his own staff don't have much faith in their new boss. Barton MacLane in particular doesn't shy away from expressing his concerns about some of the inmates and about the procedures O' Brien plans to use. There is a good action scene when Bogart breaks out of jail. He and another convict plan an escape from prison and they shoot it out with some of the prison staff. This film is just routine.

Pat O'Brien is the new captain of the prison guard at San Quentin who clashes with guard Barton MacLane while romancing the sister (Ann Sheridan) of new convict Humphrey Bogart. A great WB prison flick; one of the best. Solid supporting cast of familiar faces. The leads are all great. Sheridan gets to sing a song. She's not as glamorous here as she would be in the '40s, but she's still a looker. Bogie is very entertaining in one of his early roles. He's got pals on the outside that can pull wires, doncha know? O'Brien and MacLane are good in roles they could play in their sleep. The prison stuff is better than the romantic subplot. Bogie fans will like it for his fun performance. Love that gangster tough guy lingo!

This type of picture was playing pretty constantly since the beginning of talkies (eg. I'm a Fugitive from a Chain Gang and even the even earlier The Big House).Pat O'Brien plays the tough but fair warden who's trying to give the good cons a break and the bad cons what they deserve. He makes one mistake, though and that's falling for one con's sister.Yeah, sounds pretty clichéd, doesn't it. There is even an obligatory escape sequence and guess who has to die? If you know anything about the early movie career of Humphrey Bogart, you will not be surprised.Still, the actors under contract to Warner Bros. give it their all, especially Pat O'Brien and even more so Barton MacLane as the Lieutenant with a thorn in his side. MacLane played this role pretty much in every movie he was in.Bogart does what he can with the role of the criminal trying to go straight but he is pretty much a cog in the plot machine. Ann Sheridan as his sister is pretty much relegated to looking worried and otherwise look good.The movie moves with a rapid pace. Not a minute is wasted, only for maybe one song. The production values are pretty good considering this is a B-picture and the movie also has some humor.So, it isn't Gone with the Wind but what is?

If you're looking for top flight work from BOGART, SHERIDAN and O'BRIEN, don't look here. It's strictly a routine drama with a rather implausible resolution, and yet, because of its three stars it's still quite watchable.Sheridan is a nightclub singer who catches the eye of Pat O'Brien. He's present when Sheridan's brother HUMPHREY BOGART shows up at the club like a bad penny and sets the plot in motion when he's busted for a robbery rap. Turns out O'Brien is the tough warden at San Quentin and Bogart becomes his chief adversary in no time at all. You can almost guess the rest of the plot.It's fun recognizing the usual Warner stock players in supporting roles, especially BARTON MacLANE, JOE SAWYER and MARC LAWRENCE. GARY OWEN is the mentally unhinged bible man. VEDA ANN BORG is on hand as Joe Sawyer's conspiring sister in on a road gang break.Just don't expect anything out of the ordinary. Bogart's feisty and stubborn, as only he can muster, and Ann Sheridan at least gets to warble an unmemorable song number. Pat O'Brien plays it straight, tough and determined, all the way.Bogart seems to be enjoying his tin horn hoodlum role, and that's all that really matters. Ann Sheridan is mighty pretty in her pre-big time stardom days, but you have to overlook the improbable ending with Bogart crawling back to prison.